Unilever NV, the maker of consumer products such as Dove soap, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Lipton tea, on Thursday reported a sharp decline in its fourth-quarter profit compared with results a year ago fattened by a gain from selling a business. Its sales edged up.

Just as brash Americans attract glances from Parisian sophisticates, Chinese tourists have acquired a reputation in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia as loud, pushy bumpkins with table manners that leave much to be desired.